Study Buddies
by IsThisPhantasy
Summary: Alfred Jones is good with people, but bad at math. Arthur Kirkland is good at math, but bad with people. Isn't it just natural for them to help each other out? High School AU. USUK.
1. Chapter 1

_I don't mind it, I don't mind if you're overrated_

_Or if you're staring at the edge of the world._

_Keep in mind that I'm a sore eye with blurry vision. _

_But I can see it has to be your love that I've been dreaming of._

_And if we climb this high, I swear we'll never die._

My song is cut short by someone shoving into me. A blonde boy with long hair and loud colored clothes nearly crushes me with his giant overstuffed backpack.

"Sorry Eyebrows!" says the kid and I scowl. Francis, that pompous idiot. Annoyed, I stuff my earbuds back into my ears. You know what sucks? Forty-five minute bus rides to a school that's not even two miles away. Headphones blaring, I gaze out the window watching blurred houses and greenery pass by. I go to an all boy's high school but my neighborhood is so big that the bus ride is the length of an entire class period. I don't really talk to anyone, and if I'm lucky, nobody talks to me. I just sit in the uncomfortable plastic covered seat and listen to my ipod. I like it that way.

The first half of my school day also sucks. English, Biology, Home Economics, History, all of those classes are fairly easy but also boring. Lunch is just a period to do my homework. The only class I actually enjoy is math. I take calculus and I love it. Numbers just make sense to me and numbers are always the same wherever you go.

The loudspeaker clicks on: "_Will Arthur Kirkland please come down to Guidance_"

What do they want now? I empty my backpack of my morning books and binders and grab my afternoon stuff. Then I head down to the Guidance Office.

"Hello Arthur!" says the overly enthusiastic Guidance Counselor. "Please sit down."

I obey and sit in the plastic chair in front of her desk.

"I was reviewing your file and it seems that you do not meet the minimum requirement of community service hours. You need them to graduate next year." she says.

"Oh." I say "How many hours do I have?"

"That's the thing, you don't have any hours at all." she looks over the papers in a folder. "You need thirty to graduate, and you have none." "However," she continues, "You can join one of the school clubs and get enough hours by next year."

I nod. I really wanted to graduate next year. I would move back to England, maybe go to a university there. I liked my plan and didn't want it disrupted or pushed back.

"Your math grade is outstanding. May I suggest you join peer tutoring?"

I nod again. Peer tutoring was a good idea. I could use my free period to help others in my class who were not so good at math since I was so good at it. It isn't like I even did anything during free period. I agreed to the club and she wrote my name on a list.

she smiled "We will be so glad to have you. I think that you will be paired with Alfred Jones, you know him right? He needs the help in algebra."

Of course I knew Alfred. Who didn't? He was the captain of the football team. Our school's pride and joy when it came to sports. I also knew that he was loud and that he had such an obnoxious laugh that could be heard miles away. I groaned inwardly. Out of all the kids in our school I had to be paired with him? I had nothing against him, in fact we were friends in elementary school. However, I assumed that I would be taking away his free period. He would probably be annoyed and take it out on me.

"So you will be joining us tomorrow?" she said, smiling in a way that convinced me that she thought I would refuse the offer.

"Yeah, I'll be there"


	2. Chapter 2

**Alfreds P.O.V**

_Who designs the covers for textbooks? I mean every cover for every textbook is a picture of someone snowboarding or waterskiing and having fun. When I am using this textbook I am not having any fun. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I hate everything about math. Numbers? Hate them. Math class? I just look out the window the entire time._

"Mr. Jones, can you walk us through number seven on the homework?"

The teacher's annoying way-too-peppy voice startled me out of my mental rant. Due to my rant, I forgot that I was actually in the middle of math class. How depressing.

"Ummm, I didn't really understand that one." I answered.

"Could you at least try and answer it?" she said, starting to get impatient.

"Umm, well you add the 8x to the 12x, then you have to, umm…"

"Can somebody else help him out?" she replied, scanning the room for raised hands.

I knew that that was teacher-talk for your turn is over. Why do teachers always call on the people who clearly don't want to answer? I never raise my hand in class. I have never even displayed a single spark of interest in this tedious, unnecessary subject. I sucked at it.

I stared at the round faced clock on the wall. One minute and thirty-seven seconds until I could escape this classroom. I couldn't wait.

The class started packing up, all of them anxious to leave and get on with their days. I stuffed all my supplies into my backpack and slung it over my shoulder so I could make a quick departure to my next class. Ten, nine, eight, I counted down the seconds in my head, seven, six, five, four, three, two… The bell rang and I stood up and made a dash for the door. However, I was prevented from leaving.

"Alfred, can I talk to you for a second?" My teacher stopped me mid-stride.

"Alfred, you're not doing too well this quarter. In fact you're failing."

I cringed. I didn't do that bad last quarter. I knew what failing meant. If my report card was issued with a failing grade, I couldn't play football until my grade went back up.

She continued "I suggest peer tutoring. Maybe an honors student can help you."

I nodded hesitantly. I knew that peer tutoring took place during free period every day. I would have to bypass weight training with the rest of my football team, but if I failed I couldn't play at all. I would just have to deal with it until I had a passing grade. "Talk to Guidance and they can put you on the list" she finished. I nodded, thanked her and was on my way.

I left the classroom and traveled into the crowded hallway. There were mobs of kids standing, chatting and moving around. When I was in the hallway I actually felt important. I was greeted by many people from several mentions of "Hey Al!" and people offering casual nods and a "what's up". School was pretty great aside from the actual schooling part. Not to brag or anything, but I'm probably the most popular guy in my class. Sports can do that to someone. Some people have told me that I have a big ego, but what's so bad about that. I'm very self confident, except when it comes to classes. I'm passing all my other subjects but math just has to ruin it all. I made my way down to the Guidance Office, trying my best to look unaffected by the unpleasant news that I had received before. I walked into the office.

"Hello there Alfred, can I help you?" my Guidance Counselor said with a smile.

"Umm, I'm here to sign up for peer tutoring."

"Oh ok, your teacher said that she would reccomend you." she reached for a clipboard in her desk drawer. She handed me the clipboard and a pen. "Just write your name on this list and we will match you up with another student." I took the list from her and wrote my name on the bottom of the page. I handed it back to her. She smiled, "It's always ok to ask for help. Never be ashamed of needing help." I nodded. It wasn't that I was ashamed, it was just that I wanted to stay at the top of my team. If I missed too many weight training sessions, my captain status could be in trouble. I sighed. Hopefully coach would understand.

"So you will be joining us tomorrow in the library?"

I stand up and gather my things. "Yeah I'll be there."

**A.N. Hi there! I hope you are enjoying my little story! This is my first fic, so constructive criticism and reviews are really appreciated. Any suggestions are also welcomed. Anyways, thank you so much for reading!**

**P.S. If you know what song England was listening to in the beginning of the first chapter you get brownie points! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Arthur's P.O.V**

The bell rings, signaling the end of fifth period and the beginning of transition time. I put my notebook back in my backpack and sling the strap over my shoulder. I have that peer tutoring thing next period and I feel a jumpy sort of nervousness. I don't know if I am nervous because I've never actually tutored anyone, or if it's the thought of Alfred. Not, like I would ever admit to it, but as obnoxious as he was I always kind of found him kind of attractive. He was cocky and loud but in an endearing sort of way. I would deny the idea profusely if anyone asked, but the thought always snaked it's way back into the back of my head. I suspected that the thought of being so close to him made me jittery. I tried my best to shake the thought from my brain. I would appear calm, cool and slightly indifferent like always. I joined the stream of students leaving my current classroom to venture into the hall.

The hallways are crowded, per usual. It's like a stampede of testosterone and I always get caught right in the middle. I stood at an average height, but for some reason I was usually pushed around. Walking to the classroom next door could prove to be a dangerous sport. The halls were clogged with people standing in their little cliques, talking, laughing, being an annoyance. It's like, you just saw your friend, what more could you possibly have to say to them. I'm not jealous, believe me, I have friends. Ok, maybe it's more like one friend, but that's all you really need! Last year in Home Economics, I got paired with Kiku Honda, a boy who just moved from Japan. Neither of us had other choices for partners, so we picked each other. It worked out well. I round the corner, grateful to be out of the busiest hallway. I walk the length of the corridor and open the door to the library.

Looking around, I see that the room is mostly empty. I choose a table in the corner and put my bag down. Subconsciously, I try to fix my messy, blonde hair. I run my fingers through it, trying to make it lay straight. Suddenly, I realize what I'm doing. There's no use in fixing my hair, It's not like it will change anything. Why would Alfred ever like me? I'm not popular at all, I don't play a single sport and to top it all off, I'm not the best at social interaction. I've got nothing going for me.

"Hey, Hey British dude! You ready to get radical?"

My eyes widen for a fraction of a second, but I quickly regain my composure. Stay calm, cool, slightly aloof. He walks over to the other side of the table and sits in the other seat. "Get it? Radicals are math but also radical, like cool?" He smiles at his own joke.

"You know that this is a library?" I say in a hushed tone.

"Oh right, books and stuff...gotta be quiet." he replies. "But, I'm not so good at quiet."

Oh boy, do I know that. I take out my notebook and an algebra textbook. "Oh right, math time." he says taking a notebook out of his bag.

"So.." I say, "What do you need help with?"

He chuckles, "Honestly...everything. But, right now in class we're doing the thing with the small number and the letter thing…ummm… ex-something?"

I sigh. This should be interesting. "Exponents?" I suggest. He nods, registering the term in his brain. I open the textbook to the chapter on exponents. "Do you understand anything about them at all?"

"Well I remember…" he begins, explaining the concept pretty accurately. So he knows what to do, so what's the problem? I tell him to try one of the problems from the textbook. He writes it down in his notebook.

"No, Alfred, thats a nine, not an eight." I correct him and he erases what he previously had, starting again. As he works on the problem, I just watch him. Yeah, I know it sounds creepy and maybe it is, but I just look at his face, his lips, his nose, his eyes. His eyes are so blue but he's squinting so bad that I can hardly see them. Wait, why is he squinting? The paper isn't far away at all. Can he not see it? I know that his brother Matthew has glasses. Should he have glasses too?

"Hey, Alfred…" He looks away from the paper and up at me. "Are you having trouble seeing that paper?"

He laughs a little brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Oh yeah, I have glasses."

I look at him, incredulous. "Why don't you wear them? You need them don't you?"

He shrugs, "Yeah I need them but…"

"But what?" I urge.

"I don't know… I look kinda dorky with them on."

I roll my eyes, "You can't see in class, but you don't wear your glasses because you think that they make you look dorky?"

"Pretty much sums it up." he agrees, nodding.

"Alfred, this is probably a big part of why you aren't doing too well in math! Just wear your glasses, nobody will care that you look slightly dorky."

"I have them in my backpack, but I just never wear them. See for yourself, I look like a dweeb." He unzips his bag and digs around in the bottom of it. He retrieves a small, black eyeglass case. "Don't say I didn't warn you…" he opens the case and puts the glasses on.

I smile slightly. "Oh you look fine." I am definitely not lying. He was attractive without his glasses but with them he looks adorable. Slightly dorky, but he looks more intelligent. I feel a blush on my face, but I try as hard as I can to combat it.

"You're totally lying!" he nearly yells, earning us several "shhhs" and glares. "But… I can actually read this page now." He smiles, "I forgot how good these worked!"

"Keep them on. If not for the rest of the day, then at least the rest of this period." He agrees to keep them for this period and we get to work. Turns out he's not actually too terrible at math. He just couldn't see. Something so simple can make a huge difference. He needs to work at math, but he's really not that bad.

The period ends and we gather our things. This tutoring thing was pretty much painless. It wouldn't be too bad to do this every week.

"Yo, Dude, that wasn't even that bad. You sure that you're not some magical math wizard with the power to teach?"

I smile, "I don't think I'm a wizard, It's just that you aren't as bad as you think you are."

"I'm still pretty bad dude, but thanks I'll have to make it up to you."

"No, no" I shake my head "It's fine, really."

"Nah, bro, I'm not taking no for an answer." He takes a piece of paper and scribbles something on it. Then he hands it to me. Oh, his phone number. "Meet me out by the front steps after school on Friday!" He walks out of the library doors. I follow. "I'll call you dude!" he calls, Rounding the corner to get to his next class. I look at the paper. Knowing him we'll probably get hamburgers. It's a date, I say to myself sarcastically. Wait... Is it a date?

**A.N. Well, things are finally getting started with those two! Again, thank you very much for reading my story! Reviews and comments are always appreciated and welcomed! I think the next chapter will be from America's point of view, what do you guys think? Anyway have a good night/afternoon/morning!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alfred's P.O.V**

I walk down the hall and round the corner, walking away from the school's small library. My period of math tutoring had just finished and I was already feeling much better about my grade. Turns out that I'm not a colossal failure at math, I just couldn't see too well. don't get me wrong, I still suck, just not as much as I thought I did. It also helps that Arthur is a totally great tutor. He explains the math concepts one hundred times better than my actual teacher does. He's also totally funny and a good kind of sarcastic. Also he's way better looking than my teacher. I mean, I don't have a thing for women over fifty. I guess I kinda have a thing for snarky, blonde, British teenage boys.

I remember being good friends with him in seventh grade. Why did we stop being friends? I don't remember a big fight or anything. Hmmm… wait. It's starting to come back to me. I think it was because I started on the football team in seventh grade and I was becoming good friends with the rest of the team. I started sitting with them during lunch and hanging out with them after school. I would invite the Brit to come sit with us but he would always make some excuse. Maybe he didn't like the football guys. He was always kinda reserved and the team was definitely not shy. I could see why their personalities might clash. Or perhaps Arthur just didn't like big groups. I know that my brother Mattie sometimes got flustered around big groups of people. Maybe Arthur was the same way.

The rest of my day is uneventful. Well maybe not completely. In history we learned about this guy that had a railroad spike driven through his forehead. Maybe that was a normal thing back then, except the totally crazy thing is that this guy lived. It's funny because he was completely fine, except his personality changed a ton. He went from this super optimistic, fun guy to a total angry jerk. I found that story pretty interesting. However, the rest of my day was a snoozefest. The bus ride back home was uneventful and I actually got home relatively early because we're in between sports seasons. I'm done with football for the year, but It's not quite time for baseball. Those are my two sports. My pride and joy. I'm a stereotypical American, what can I say. However, I'd rather leave the hockey to my brother. He might be quiet and harmless normally but give him a hockey stick and he goes crazy. For the rest of the day I just sit around and play video games. That Japanese dude gave me one of those 3ds things for my birthday and man, I love it. Mario Kart is a slayer of boredom.

Eventually, I take the time to finish my homework. I take my books out and I'm fishing around for a pencil, when my fingers bump into that oval shaped case. My glasses. I retrieve the case from my bag and open it. I take out the frames and sit them on my nose. They really did make a big difference in my eyesight. I would wear them at home, but never at school. I'm usually confident with the way I look, but something about these little metal frames made me insecure. I huff, annoyed with myself. Why can't I just have 20/20 vision? That would sure make things a lot easier. I brush the eyewear issue aside and try to focus on my science homework. Wow, identifying sedimentary rocks. Real fun.

I complete the rest of my assignments pretty easily. I already did my math worksheet in the library so that's been done. I find little ways to occupy my short attention span until night time rolls around. I go on facebook, text various people, play more Mario Kart, Watch a basketball game on the tv. You know, just do stuff while still doing practically nothing. I really want baseball season to get here faster. Sports spice up my life. Sure I'm not particularly good at anything requiring artistic skill, and I'm pretty average at school, but I was amazing at sports. Not to brag, but I hold the record for most home runs in baseball and most consecutive games won as captain in football. I was only really good at three things, playing sports, making friends and eating. I like it that way. At least I was at the top in my talents. But, seriously dude I can eat a whole burger in twenty seconds.

I presumed that my life would stay boring until Thursday. I wanted to thank the British dude for helping me. What better way to thank him then to go to the local diner and get giant milkshakes. I could not think of a better way to show my gratitude. Milkshakes are a gift from heaven, especially the chocolate ones. Also, I think that this outing will help me decide if I like him or not. You know, like-like him. I know that I really, really want us to be friends but I don't know if it's just that I want more than that. He is cute, even if he always is so down on himself. Plus, I'm so loud that I need someone quiet and reserved to balance out. He certainly fits the criteria. But still, I don't know. Ugh only two more days. Why does all this like-like stuff have to be so confusing?

**A.N. Hey, hey there faithful readers. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter! I also hope that you guys don't mind that the chapters are kind of short. Maybe it makes up that I update kind of frequently. Seriously though, let me know. As always, Reviews are always welcomed and highly appreciated! Have a lovely day/night/morning!**

**P.S. I really love the headcannon that Canada gets super aggressive and wild when it comes to hockey. He's always so quiet and patient but I feel like hockey would make him get super competitive. Aww! So cute!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Arthur's P.O.V**

By the time Thursday rolled around I was anxious to go on this little outing with Alfred. Yeah, I know that it's pretty pathetic that I was this excited. He probably just saw it as a way of thanking me for the extra help sessions to come. Completely and utterly platonic. I reminded myself of that multiple times today. I also reminded myself that the odds of him liking me were probably one million to one. Some part of my brain held desperately onto that little chance.

Classes went by and I really did not pay much attention. If you asked me what we did in science class, I wouldn't have been able to tell you. I was like a kid on Christmas eve, just waiting for that last bell to ring. I would not have admitted that to anyone. Not a soul. I tried my best to stay calm, cool and a bit indifferent, like I always. Finally, that last bell rang, setting all the students free. I shoved my bag into my locker and retrieved my jacket. There was an early spring, kind of crispness to the air. The world was almost done thawing out. The grass was green and the flowers were just starting to bud. It was peaceful. I walked out of the building and sat on the front steps outside the entrance. I took my phone out of my backpack and checked the text messages that he had sent me yesterday.

"_Yo British bro! LOL that rhymes ^-^ Anyways, meet me outside the front entrance tomorrow and we can go to that diner in town. I hope you like milkshakes! _"

I scroll down to a more recent message. I didn't notice this one yesterday. "_Oh right, turns out that my brother Mattie is going with us tomorrow. His date cancelled on him last minute and I felt bad and so he's gonna come too. He says he knows u from school so I figured it would be ok. He's quiet so it won't be much different anyway. See u tomorrow. :)_"

I couldn't help but feel the tiniest twinge of disappointment once I saw this. Yeah, I knew Matthew and we were friendly, but I kind of wanted to be alone with Alfred. I knew that nothing would come out of being alone with him, but I still wanted it.

I was startled out of my thoughts when I heard a "Hey Arthur!" coming from a giant, red pickup truck. Alfred's car. Of course he would have a giant, stereotypical American car. He waved out the window and motioned for me to get in. I put my phone away, slung my bag's strap around my shoulder and walked over to the truck's window.

"Sorr-...dude.. gotta..bac-" he said, but his voice was muffled by the loud, booming music coming from his radio. "Sorry, sorry." he turned down the music and repeated himself. "You're gonna have to sit in the backseat." I nodded and walked over to the other side. I opened the door and climbed up to sit in the seat. Given my smaller stature, it was sort of difficult to get in the car. I mean the truck was massive.

The inside of Alfred's car was a lot cleaner than I expected. In fact it was spotless. There were no candy wrappers or old soda cans littering the floor. I was very surprised. I sat down.

"How's it hangin' dude?"

"Oh you know." I reply "Same old, same old."

"You know Mattie right?" he said, gesturing to the boy in the passenger's seat. I smiled and greeted Matthew and he did the same. Alfred shifted the car into gear and drove out of the school parking lot, whilst singing loudly to the song that was currently playing. Alfred's and his brother really were identical. They were twins after all. Same dark blonde hair. Same vivid blue eyes. Same stature. However, their personalities were on two sides of the spectrum. Alfred was loud, outspoken and opinionated. Matthew was quiet, reserved and modest. Like night and day. However, they appeared to be close siblings.

"Hold up, hold up, hold up!" Alfred yelled, turning the volume on the radio all the way up. "Yo, man this song is my jam!" Matthew closed his eyes and whispered an "Oh boy" as he covered his ears. I couldn't quite place the song, but it sounded familiar. I never really listened to top 40 stations. Suddenly Alfred rolled all the windows all the way down and I knew that something was going to happen. I could also tell that the song was almost at it's chorus.

Alfred sucked in a huge amount of air and half sung, half yelled, " I CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALLL" Another huge breath, "I NEVER HIT SO HARD IN LOVEEE... ALL I WANTED WAS TO BREAK YOUR ARMS"

"Al, those aren't the words." Matthew laughed cutting off Alfred's loud, off-key ballad.

"Mattie," Alfred said stopping at a red light and looking into his brother's eyes "I don't know about you, but I sing from the heart." The light changed to green and Alfred drove on. "Besides, Artie back there loved my singing. Right?" He said looking at me from the mirror.

"It was lovely" I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, I'm gonna take that as a compliment." He looked proud of himself.

We arrived at the diner and Alfred parked the car right in the front. "Well that was fun" He remarked, opening the door and stepping out. Matthew and I did the same. I had never been here before, but over the years I found out that most diners are pretty similar. We walked through the mostly deserted parking lot and up the steps that led to the diner's entrance.

Upon entering the small restaurant, I found that I really liked the decor. The whole place was done up all 50's style. There was a black white and red theme and a checkered floor. Alfred chose a booth and we sat down. I sat by myself while Alfred and Matthew sat on the other side.

"So, Arthur, you like shakes right? Alfred said, resting his chin on his hands. He leaned forward. "I mean come on who doesn't?"

"Yeah, milkshakes are good." I nod. Sure, they weren't my favorite, but they were still good and he was paying so just agreed. "Chocolate is my favorite." That was true.

"Yo man really? Me too!" Alfred exclaimed, smile wide across his face.

Soon after, a waiter approached our table. He was small, blonde and had strangely purple eyes. He looked really familiar. "Hello and welcome to- Oh hey guys!" He smiled, recognising us. "Alfred, Mattew and uh.. oh, right Arthur! I read the name tag pinned to his uniform. Tino. Oh right, Tino Väinämöinen. He was in my history class and was always nice and polite to me. He was one of those guys in the Nordic group. There were four other students who moved from Northern Europe and they were always together. I was surprised that he remembered my name. I never really talked to the Nordics.

"How's It hangin' Tino? I didn't know you worked here." Alfred said, smile and all.

"Oh yeah" Tino shrugged "The job pays pretty good." Alfred and Tino chatted about this and that and I zoned out of the conversation. While they talked, I couldn't help but wonder how exactly Alfred seemed to know everyone in this town. The town is quite small, but still.

"So, how's your special friend?" Said Alfred, putting air quotes around the last two words.

Tino blushed. "Oh! You mean Berwald? He's good." I remembered Berwald clearly. He was tall, blonde, Swedish and kind of scary. Tino and Berwald were always together as best friends but now they were dating. I could see Tino's eyes light up when he talked about his boyfriend. That made me smile.

"Oh right!" Tino said remembering his assigned task. "Are you guys ready to order?"

"Oh" Began Alfred, "Two chocolate shakes and one maple bacon shake."

"I'm afraid we're out of the maple" Tino frowned.

Matthew looked dejected and I could swear that I heard him curse under his breath. "Another chocolate one then." He said. Tino wrote our orders, promised that it would only take five minutes and hurried off to another table.

"Alfred, how is it that you know everyone?" I asked, curiosity overtaking me.

He shrugged "I don't know… I guess I just know people from the team and then they introduce me to their other friends. It's kinda just a chain reaction."

"Isn't is stressful maintaining that many friendships?" I am really curious about this. Being around too many people makes me anxious and stressed out. I can't imagine all of them wanting to talk to me or listen to what I'm saying. I like blending in with the crowd and only having a few good friends. It's easier that way. But it doesn't seem to faze Alfred at all.

"Hmmm.." He says thinking. "I guess it just comes naturally to me." He winks and I roll my eyes. I would never admit to anyone that I really liked when he winked like that.

Matthew laughs. His laugh is just like his brother's but much quieter and less dramatic. "Al, that was really, really cheesy. Like, an early eighties teen romance movie cheesy."

"Mattie, how many times do I have to tell you that I speak from the heart?" Alfred says with mock annoyance, shaking his head at his twin.

Just then Tino reappears carrying a tray of milkshakes. He hands one to everyone and asks if we would like anything else. We shake our heads and thank him. I taste my shake. It's much better than I expected. Very chocolatey. Good. We sit there sipping on our drinks quietly for a couple minutes. Well, quiet wasn't the best word. Alfred hummed as he drank his shake.

Suddenly, Alfred turns to me. "So British dude, tell me more about yourself. I know that you like math, tea and the color green. What else?" He continues "Who are your friends? Besides me of course. Tell me about Arthur." He stares at me, just looking into my eyes. I feel my heart flutter in my chest. God that's so cliche. I think about the question.

"Hmm, well I like scones and Harry Potter." I offer.

"What about your friends?"

"I don't have too many friends but uh… Kiku Honda the guy who moved from Japan last year. We're pretty good friends." I shift in my seat uncomfortably. "That's about it. One friend"

"Well now you have three friends!" Alfred says clapping Matthew on the shoulder. "And I promise to make it my personal mission to get you in the loop. Man, you are going to be drowning in facebook friend requests by the time I'm done." He laughs.

I laugh nervously. "Oh no, Alfred, that's quite alright. You don't have to do that."

"No, but I want to. And I'm not taking no for an answer!" He nods, looking determined.

"No really,It's-"

He cuts me off. "Dude, I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Well, alright then." I nod, knowing that arguing will get me nowhere. Alfred smiles and winks again. Matthew offers a sympathetic look. I don't know if I want to drown in facebook friends. I haven't been on facebook in years. Why does Alfred look so smug? Oh god, what did I just agree to?

**A.N. Hey there friends! Sorry this update took so long, this chapter just didn't want to flow nicely at first. I hope I worked it out. Also, I couldn't help but add some Sufin because I will go down with that ship, I swear. As always, thank you so much for reading! Reviews are always appreciated! Love you all lots and have a great day/night/morning!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Arthur's P.O.V**

"Ok, Arthur, this is Ludwig." Alfred smiled as he introduced me to another one of the people sitting at the circular lunch table. He finally decided to wear his glasses to school. He looked really cute when he wore them. At first, I tried to force thoughts like that away, but now they were just a part of my daily life. Usually I stayed far away from the cafeteria and opted to eat in the library with a book. The librarian never scolded me for it. I suppose it's because I actually read the books. It was calm and peaceful. However, Alfred had other plans. True to his word, he dragged me by the hand to the crowded lunchroom. I was then sat between him and Matthew at the table. Then came the introductions.

Ludwig was very tall and blonde with stern looking blue eyes. He muttered a greeting, but was obviously distracted by the brunette boy who was sitting next to him. "Feliciano" Ludwig said, sounding annoyed, "Could you please stop singing as you eat?"

Feliciano smiled. I knew him already. He was extremely friendly and made it a point to talk to everyone in the school. He was often seen taking pictures for the newspaper club. He was tan and always happy looking, with a stray curl protruding out of the mess of brown hair on his head. It was kind of hard to not like him. "But the food is so good!" He smiled, "Besides, you said that you love it when I sing, didn't you?" he frowned, "Did you change your mind?" He looked at the blonde boy with an expression full of confusion.

Ludwig blushed and sighed. "Yes, I love when you sing, just don't do it so loudly okay?" Feliciano smiled at this and kissed Ludwig on the cheek. Ludwig blushed even redder, but was smiling slightly after that.

It was about halfway through the lunch period and I was already introduced to Gilbert, a pale boy with strange red eyes, who was too busy making out with Matthew to really notice me. Then, Antonio, a cheerful looking Spanish boy and his irritable boyfriend Lovino, who was Feliciano's twin. Alfred was the only one at the table without a significant other. He looked so attractive, talking and laughing with his positivity was infectious and as obnoxious as he was, he was still kind and tried to help everyone as best he could. After all, he had helped me make some friends. I had to admit to myself that I really wouldn't mind being his other half.

"Ooohh, mi amigo, why are you so blushy?" Antonio smiled leaning forward.

I guess all of this thinking about Alfred had made me blush. This realization made me blush even more. Since I was so pale, I looked beet red. Antonio laughed. "Oh, Arthur amigo, you are bright red! You look like a blonde tomato! You know, sometimes" He giggled again, "Sometimes, Lovino gets all red like that when I-" He was interrupted when said Italian elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Oww! Lovi! What was that for?"

Lovino fumed, and was very red indeed. "Don't talk about that you Idiota!"

"Awww, but Lovi you look so cute when you're all blushy because I-"

"Shut up you Spanish idiot! Just shut up!"

"But, Looovvviiii"

"Antonio!"

"Aww, Lovi, see? You are all red just like a little tomato! Mi poco tomate!"

"Don't call me that you jerk!"

Antonio laughed at Lovino's apparent embarrassment. "You are so cute when you're mad, Lovi. But, I guess that is most of the time!" Lovino said nothing at this and went back to eating his pasta. Everyone was kind of quiet for a moment.

Finally, Alfred broke the silence. "Oi! Gil! Mattie! Can't you two you stop mackin' on each other for more than five minutes? I'm trying to eat, and my fries are getting all cold!"

Gilbert gave Alfred the middle finger, but finally broke apart from Matthew. Gilbert looked smug and Matthew just looked embarrassed. "Oh, sorry Alfred" Gilbert said, not seeming sorry in the slightest. Matthew cleared his throat tentatively "So, Arthur, What class do you have next?

"Oh, I have gym on A days."

"Ooohh, really?" Asked Feliciano "So do we!" He gestured to his half of the table. That was Feliciano, Ludwig and Lovino.

"So do I!" Alfred said "How come I've never seen you there before?"

"Well… I kind of stay to the outside…"

"Well not anymore! You can stay with us today!"

"Ummm… Ok then" I say, unsure of how gym class with Alfred would turn out.

"You don't have to If you don't want to dude."

"No, no, I want to. Thanks." Truthfully, I usually stayed by myself during gym. It would be good to have a group to hang out with. Especially since we were playing cooperative games. I finished my lunch surrounded by Feliciano's singing, Antonio and Lovino's bickering and Matthew and Alfred's discussion of the current hockey standings. I wondered how I had gone to a quiet library to a loud lunchroom in one day. I decided that I liked the change.

The bell rang and I cleaned up my lunch. I grabbed my backpack and began to walk when Alfred put his arm around my shoulders. I was so sure that I looked just like the tomato that Antonio described. He just smiled at me. But, I could have sworn that his cheeks were tinted slightly pink. "You ready to go to gym? Ooh, do you want to be partners if we have them this time?" I nodded. I really liked how calm Alfred looked with his arm around me. I was much smaller, so it wasn't too hard for him. Also, he smelled really good. I was dreading the fact that he would take his arm away in a minute. But, he didn't. Even as we walked down the hall, he didn't take his arm away. He just kept it there, draped along the tops of my shoulder. I liked it.

I liked it a lot.

**A.N. Hey there! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I am so sorry for disappearing for awhile. I promise it won't happen again. Plus, once summer comes along, and I get out of school, I promise to update a lot. It's may right now so we're really close! Reviews are really, really appreciated and they really make my entire day. Or week. Have a great day/morning/night!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alfred's P.O.V**

"Alright kids, Today we are doing more cooperative games."

The class was a mixture of disappointed groans and happy cheers. I had always liked gym class. I was good at sports. I was competitive. That was a perfect formula for athletic success. Not to brag, but I was the very picture of athletic success.

"In today's game, the objective is to get from one side of the gym to the other." Mr. Vargas, gestured wildly as he explained the game.

"That's it?" Lovino asked, rolling his eyes. He was related to Mr. Vargas, so he got away with comments like this often.

"Oh, but there's always a catch!" Mr. Vargas smiled knowingly. "You can only step on these little circles." He gestured to a stack of rubber poly-spots next to him.

The class groaned. Mr. Vargas smiled.

"Each group of six gets four spots. Someone must be touching each spot at all times."

He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. "Split up. Have fun."

The class broke apart as we split into groups. We gathered five. Our group consisted of Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, Arthur and me. We also acquired Francis, who was without a even group. We set up at the far side of the gym.

"Okay." Ludwig said "We need a strategy."

"We could run across when the teacher isn't looking." Feliciano suggested.

"No."

"Oh, okay then" Feliciano looked disappointed for a moment, then went back to humming.

I thought really hard about it. I formulated a plan. A good plan.

"Yo, Arthur."

The strategizing broke as everyone turned to look at me. "Yes?" Arthur replied.

"Dude, get on my back.

"W-What?" He looked surprised. He was cute when he was surprised.

"Just trust me. Piggyback."

"Umm… alright then. He went to stand behind me. "Ready?" He asked.

"Yup. One...two...three-" I hoisted him up onto my back. He was much lighter than I expected. And I hoped to god that he couldn't feel how fast my heartbeat had gotten. I was going to stay cool. This was my area of expertise. Gym class I mean, not having small, cute British boys perched on my back.

"So…" Arthur said "Where are you going with this idea?"

"Oh, right." I regained my focus. "Feli? I asked

Feliciano jumped into a salute "Yes Captain?

I smiled at that. "Feli, take two of the spots." He retrieved the little rubber disks.

"And?..."

"Put one down and step on it." He followed his orders. "Okay, now put the other spot in front of that, and step on the new one."

Feliciano stepped from spot to spot. Once he was safely on the second spot, I stepped onto the unattended one.

"You okay?" I asked Arthur

"I'm good" He replied. I could feel the fast thump of his heartbeat against my back. He must be feeling nervous.

"I'm not gonna drop you. I gotcha." I tried my best to reassure him. He nodded in response. Now back to the task at hand.

"Ludwig, can you take the last two spots and step on one?"

"Sure." He complied.

"Now pass the last one up to Feliciano." Ludwig passed it to me and I gave it to Feli. "Now, Feli, put the last one down and step on that." He stepped and I followed with Arthur onto the next little circle. "Ludwig now, step and pick up the one behind you." He did. We were making fast progress.

"Oh I see." Arthur commented from up on my back, with arms slung over my shoulders and hands clasped. My heart sped up again. "We just continue that pattern and then somebody must go back for Lovino and Francis."

By the way he said Francis, I could tell that Arthur had a degree of dislike towards the Frenchman. Well, he was a bit pervy and inappropriate. I didn't like him too much either.

As our group continued with it's system, I felt Arthur's heartbeat speed up again.

"Dude, don't be so nervous. I swear I'm not gonna drop you."

"What are you on about?" Arthur sounded confused.

"Your heartbeat is so jumpy."

Arthur's heart sped up even more after I said that. He muttered something that sounded a lot like "That's not why." I didn't ask questions. Maybe he had a fear of heights. I was pretty tall.

After a while we had reached the other side of the gymnasium.

"Yay! We did it!" Feliciano cheered. "Ludwig, we did it!" He grabbed his boyfriend's hands and started waving them around.

"Well, Feli, we still have to get Francis and your brother."

Feliciano nodded. "Ooh, I'll do it!" and off he went, back to the other side.

"Alrighty Arthur, you can get down now." I said, crouching down so he could get off.

He climbed off and stood next to me. We waited for Feliciano to return with the other two.

After a few minutes, the whole of our team was standing on the other side. We weren't the first though. Those Nordic guys were faster. Apparently, Tino picked up his massive boyfriend Berwald and other friend Emil, while Mathias, the other tall one picked up Lukas. They got over in three minutes.

"We did good team!" Feliciano gave everyone a high five and cheered. Even Lovino smiled. Positivity is infectious after all. I smiled at Arthur. He smiled back.

"Oh, why don't you two just make out already?" I turned. It was Francis, as outspoken and obnoxious as always. "It's so glaringly obvious that you two like each other, just do it."

Arthur turned beet red. My face was so hot that I was sure that I was blushing too.

I was about to reply when we were called in to change.

Well, that was an interesting gym class.

**A.N. This story is fun. I'm glad that this chapter is a bit longer. Also, I'm sorry if the game is a little confusing, but it is a game I played in gym once. It was actually fun. Please review and thank you so much for reading! Have a lovely day/night/morning!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Arthur's P.O.V **

"And this is the room that me and Mattie share! Which side do you think is mine. Just take a wild guess." Alfred was nearly bouncing on his feet with anticipation, waiting for my answer.

Well, it certainly isn't a hard question. The left side of the large bedroom is covered in posters of comic book heroes and there's a football helmet on the desk. The bed frame, dresser and desk are made of dark stained wood. There are also multiple instances of the American flag strewn about. The right side has light wood furniture and posters of hockey teams. There's a world map on the wall with tacks pinned on to specific places. The tacks are scattered, but heavily concentrated on Canada. I notice that there are multiple examples of polar bear themed paraphernalia, including a plush, fluffy looking white bear propped against the pillows on the bed.

"Hmmm… This is difficult." I smile. "Is it that one?" I point to the side with the helmet and American flags. I knew that was his side from the moment I walked into the room. It's just so like him. It's loud and full of American pride, but still sort of cute and a bit nerdy.

"Yup! You're right! You win!"

I turn to him. "And what's my prize?"

He laughs, "You get to spend the rest of the day hanging out with me."

"Pfffft. That's not a prize."

He swats my arm lightly. "Oh, heck yeah it is. If you haven't noticed, I'm pretty fricking cool." Alfred walked over to Matthew's side of the room and dragged a red beanbag chair out of the corner of the room. He then went to his side and got another beanbag, this time blue. He set up both chairs in the middle of the carpet.

"Pop a squat blondie." He said. Then he sank down into the blue seat. "You gotta sit in Mattie's chair. I can't sit there, it smells too much like syrup." I sat down it the red cushion while Alfred went to retrieve his school bag.

"Where is your brother?"

"Oh, Mattie went to Gil's house. He said something about a science project, but everyone knows that they're just gonna make out." He took a few books out of the backpack. "Plus, he's a pretty sucky study buddy."

This morning Alfred had asked me to study at his house after school. He said that midterms were coming up and we could revise together. I agreed happily. Ever since that little "conversation" with Francis during gym a week ago, I had been hanging out with Alfred a lot. We had gone out to the Diner again and to other places, but this is the first time that I would be going to his house. I saw this as a huge step in our relationship. Sadly, our relationship remained only a friendship. I was still puzzled as to why Alfred would hang out with me at all, because it was true, he was pretty fricking cool. Of course, I kept this thought to myself.

Alfred slid his chair closer to mine until the two chairs were pressed up against each other. I would never admit it, but whenever he would get close up to me like this, my heart would race. I noticed that he had a geography textbook in his arms. Oh right, I was over here to study. However, Alfred's definition on "study" was a lot different than mine. His definition was pretty much just hanging out with an open textbook nearby.

He set up the textbook so it was half on his lap and half on mine. We were so close that our knees were bumping and that I could smell his cologne. My heart was nearly beating out of my chest.

"Alrighty," He said, turning the book to the appropriate page. "We need to study the geography of western europe." He smiled. "Hey! Isn't that where you're from?"

"Yeah, I moved here from England when I was six."

"Woah! I just thought you talked like that because you wanted to sound fancy."

It was true that I still had a touch of my Southern English accent left. Sometimes teenage girls would stop me in stores once they heard my voice. They would make me say things and then giggle and "aww". Mostly, I liked my accent. "I don't sound fancy you twat." I smacked Alfred's shoulder in a joking way.

"Yo bro, you sound like an old-timey gentleman with a monocle." He laughed.

"Does it bother you?" I ask,sounding annoyed.

"Nah man, I like it. Makes you sound cool." He smiled at me and I could swear that there was a blush forming on his cheeks. He cleared his throat. "Right! Geography!" He returned his attention to the battered textbook propped up against us. I returned my attention back as well, feeling disappointed, but not quite knowing why.

"So that's Spain?" He asked as he pointed to Germany.

My eyes widened. Did this boy really go through sixteen years of life thinking that Germany was Spain? He told me that he was born and raised in America and had never left the country before. I believed it, as he had also told me that he had eaten a cheeseburger in forty-seven of the fifty states.

"Alfred, that is Germany." I pointed to where Spain really was, "This is Spain. And that's Portugal. See?"

"Pfft, dude, I knew that. I was just testing you."

I rolled my eyes because I knew that that was a lie. Alfred Jones knew the United States like the back of his hand, but the rest of the world was a jumble. We had a lot of studying to do

After an hour we had covered a lot of ground. Alfred focused on the studying and we made quite a lot of progress. He could identify all the more prominent countries in Western Europe. We could work on the smaller countries later.

"So where in England are you from?" He asked. I was kind of surprised that he had brought the topic up again. I've never known anyone who was interested in it at all.

"I lived in London. In the city."

"Woah. Did you have tea with the Queen?"

"No." I roll my eyes. "Why do Americans always act like the Queen is every Londoner's best friend? Is the president your best friend?"

"Yup. We have him over for dinner every Saturday."

"No, you do n-" I started.

I never finished that sentence. I was interrupted by Alfred, who in that moment decided to close the gap between us. He had closed the gap and he had kissed me right on the mouth.

I was confused for a second before it dawned on me. Alfred F. Jones, my recent best friend and the boy who I had a very large crush on, was kissing me.

He was kissing me. Oh my god.

I stayed so still, eyes wide open, completely shocked. And right after I had realized what had happened, he pulled away.

"Did I just ruin everything?" He said, looking surprised with himself. "I- I'm- I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He stammered.

"Alfr-" I started

He just sputtered on. "After Francis said that we should just make out, I was just like hell yeah we should." He looked rather nervous. Before this, I didn't even think Alfred could get nervous. "You just looked so hot and your eyes lit up when you talked about England…"

"..."

"I'm sorry, I just really like you. Bu-But, If you don't feel the same way, I get it." He looked like he expected me to say something.

My heart was racing. I was stunned. I didn't let myself think too much before I reached over and kissed him again.

Because, oh god, I felt the same way.

He reacted rather quickly, reaching and taking my face in his hands. The kiss was like fire. It was fire that spread through my whole body, igniting my veins and melting me. My hands were trembling and my heart was racing. It was warm and soft and gentle.

I hated that we had to draw away for air. I hated that we had to breathe. I wanted to keep kissing him. I never wanted to stop.

One real kiss and I was already addicted. The feel of his lips on mine made my head spin. I loved it.

I didn't have to worry about the break too long, because Alfred leaned in again, wrapping his hands around the back of my neck. His palms were calloused, but still warm. We were so close that I was practically sitting on his lap. It was almost like we were the only two people in the world.

"I hope you two aren't mak-" Mattie walked in to what is his bedroom, looking shocked. But, he wasn't as shocked as I thought he should be considering that his brother was making out with their mutual friend. Then he laughed. "So you finally went for it?"

Alfred just flashed his trademark smile and a big thumbs up before kissing me lightly on the temple.

I wanted to look at anything other than Matthew's face. I looked up at the clock on the wall instead. "Oh no, I was supposed to be home a half hour ago." I stood up and gathered all my things. "See you Alfred, Matthew." I nodded before walking out of the room, blush running rampant around my face. I could just walk home, seeing that I lived down the street. I walked out of the house to see Alfred running after me.

"Goodbye kiss?" He asked.

"Oh, sure." I said, kissing him lightly on the lips. It was short, but sweet none the less. Then I practically ran out of his yard. My mother would be ready to yell at me when I got home, and she would only get madder as I was later. It would be so worth it.

**A.N. That was fun! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are always appreciated!**


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